WASHING THE DISHES

The dishwasher quit. Remember the dishwasher? We bought it along with the problematic refrigerator and the washer and dryer from Sears two years ago. Then came phone calls and emails insisting we purchase expensive extended warranties. There are two schools of thought on those warranties. We didn’t buy in.

If today we had that extended warranty, it would mean, I think, that Sears Repair would come and fix my dishwasher with no charge – or minimal charge. Oh – and I’m sure they would come anyway and fix my dishwasher – for a hefty fee.

Instead, we went the route of the local repair shop. The guy came in a timely manner. He said the problem might be that I had let the Jet Dry run out. It’s important to keep that filled, he said, because of the sensor. The dishwasher knew it was out of Jet Dry and was therefore refusing to fill with water. I had some Jet Dry and we poured it into the compartment.

Do I heat the water at the tap before I run the dishwasher, he wanted to know. That’s important. Otherwise the dishwasher has to heat the water. That could cause a problem. So, now I’m feeling really bad and Mike is looking askance at me, remarking that he thought I had read the manual. So, now it's my fault that there's something wrong with the dishwasher. 

The guy suggested a product I could buy at Walmart that would clean the inside of the dishwasher. Okay, it didn’t look squeaky clean, but after all, it didn’t wash that last load of dishes. I had to unload and wash them by hand. So, sue me if there’s a dribble of hot chocolate in there.

I use the efficiency wash, I said, because WHEN I READ THE MANUAL, it seemed to recommend that. Don’t use the efficiency wash, he said. That’s not most efficient. Instead, he started the machine according to settings he selected, and I couldn’t help but notice that the efficiency setting came on. The cycle would run for 3 hours and 45 minutes. Then call him, he said as he left, and tell him what happened. He added that he could not keep up with all the updates in dishwashers, and if it didn't re-set, he would have to sit in his recliner tonight and read online diagnostics.

What happened was that the cycle ran with very little water and no washing. The hot chocolate dribbles were still there in the bottom of the tub. So, I called him to report. Run it again, he said, on those same settings, and then call him to let him know what happened. Perhaps it just had to re-set, and it might take two runs for that to happen. Now I was really upset because in another 3 hours and 45 minutes it would be after 5:00 and he would most certainly not be available until tomorrow.

And you know – I’d just as soon not wash the dishes, but it’s not the end of the world if I have to. What troubles me is that the guy is jerking me around because he doesn’t know how to fix my appliance.

So, this morning Mike leveled with the guy on the phone. “Do you know how to fix our dishwasher?” No, he said. So, Mike suggested he send a bill for his call and we would find someone else.

It had occurred to me that any appliance repairs would now be expensive, I commented to Mike, but it hadn't occurred to me that we would not be able to find someone to fix it. Well, there’s always Sears, but we weren’t ready to give up – or is that “give in?” A local appliance shop said they weren’t certified to repair Kenmore appliances, but he gave us several options – a national outfit, and an appliance repair shop that has been here in the Valley for 30 years. We called the former, but Mike couldn't understand the rep, whose first language wasn't English.

So, we called the longtime repair shop. Yes, he could fix it, he told Mike, but he couldn’t come until Monday. So – Monday it is, then. Meanwhile, I’m running the water at the tap until it’s hot so that I can wash the dishes. Perhaps it's the coming thing. KW

MORE SEARS SAGA

The Kenmore refrigerator, delivered in August, seems to be working all right. We agree that it’s better than the previous one, which we believed wasn’t cold enough. However, the cooling seems inconsistent.

Actually, we had another Sears event relating to the new dishwasher. In loading it one day, I pushed the top rack into place and a thingamabob fell off the runner. (They call it an end cap, but it’s really a thingamabob.) I discovered this little plastic piece is very important. It keeps the rack from sliding off the runner.

 

So, Mike called the customer service number and was referred to the parts people who readily agreed to send a replacement thingamabob. A couple days later I found it in the mailbox.

Subsequently, I received an email asking me to complete a survey with regard to this transaction. “Your experience is important to us,” read the message. “Please tell us how we did.” I had to laugh. For weeks Sears had shown no concern for our satisfaction with the $2000 refrigerator, while the parts division wanted to know if we were satisfied with a little $10 plastic part. Clearly, the parts manager and the customer service manager are not the same person.

 

No, I didn’t complete that survey, nor did I complete it the next time they asked. As for the end cap, it wouldn’t stay on. Mike suggested a service call, but I was afraid it might count against us if we need other service within the year. So Mike crimped the arm a bit to keep the thingamabob in place. So far so good. But again, although it’s a small issue, it’s still a new appliance with a problem. KW

SEARS SAGA

Let’s see – where did we leave off in the saga of the Kenmore Elite refrigerator that wasn't cold enough? I’m not sure, so I’ll just start with late June. I answered the phone one evening and a young-sounding female representing Sears congratulated me for having purchased Kenmore appliances and mentioned the recent successful refrigerator repair.

“Just a minute,” I said, “there was no repair." I explained that the tech said there was nothing wrong with the refrigerator and did not install the parts. "The refrigerator still isn’t cold enough, and we don’t know what to do.”

“Oh!” she said, “I’m sending an email to my supervisor about this right now, and someone will call you.” She assured me that they would call me. I was impressed. At last, someone at Sears was listening. I was sure a resolution would be forthcoming. Wrong!

We waited for the call through that week – and the next – and then it was the Fourth of July. And then Mike settled down to deal with Sears. He learned the outreach call had come from the extended warranty division. Not owning the extended warranty, we didn’t qualify for the services of this division, they said. And besides, they never initiate or return calls to customers. He was advised that the rep who promised a callback from her supervisor would be put on report. They referred him to the general customer service number. So, Mike called that number – and waited on hold – and no real progress was made that day.

The next day he called customer service again. Finally someone agreed to exchange the refrigerator on the grounds that we had initiated complaints within 30 days of purchase. The call took a long time while the rep completed paperwork. She advised us to call back the next day for further info on the exchange, including delivery date.

Mike called again the next day. This time he reached a male who said the agreement to exchange was in error. “Look,” I heard Mike say, “I just spent over $4,000 on Kenmore appliances. Do you mean to say you just don’t care about my satisfaction?” That seemed to be a turning point in the conversation, and with more waiting on hold, the rep agreed to an exchange. They would call us on July 14, he said, to provide the delivery date. (They would call us???)

July 14 came and went with no call from Sears. We weren’t surprised.  Mike and I agreed that we were stuck with the fridge. I turned it down to its lowest setting again, and we enjoyed cooler – if not cold – milk.

Wyoming landscape

Fast forward to July 31. We were stopped for the night in Rawlins, WY, on our way to Denver for a 10-day stay. Checking my email, I found a message from Sears announcing that my new refrigerator would be delivered Monday, Aug. 3. “Arghh!” I screamed. I couldn’t log into the website, but eventually we reached Sears through the customer service number and were able to change the delivery date to August 17 -- not without considerable discussion, though.

As arranged, the new fridge was delivered August 17. It’s just like the previous fridge – cooling issues and all. But – we think it's better than the previous model. It seems these new fridges just aren’t as cold as we’ve come to appreciate. It also makes ice s-l-o-w-l-y, which I believe is a design flaw, and it dispenses water that isn't cold.

Bottom line: If your present refrigerator does a good job for you, don’t be in haste to buy a new one. KW

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN, JIGGITY JIG

 

Loading the Triumph onto the trailer

Mike and I have just returned from a nine-day stay with our Colorado son Yancey and family. The purpose of the trip was to finish the Colorado counties moto-caching challenge (traveling to geocaches on a motorcycle and successfully logging one cache in each county). I’m happy to report that this mission was accomplished. It cost two years of intense planning, two trips to Colorado, 5300 miles on the motorcycle, beautiful scenery, and experiences positive and negative.

Emmy and Bess

Traveling the interstate on a motorcycle is tedious, so this year Mike trailered his Triumph, pulling it with our old Dakota. And so, it morphed into an opportunity for me and the dogs to go. The family graciously allowed us to stay at their house where I set up my sewing operation on their dining room table and walked the dogs three and four times a day.

If you check here frequently, you know that what I left behind was the muse. The muse disappears in times of stress, and it wasn’t an easy trip.

We left Thursday, July 30 – seems like a hundred years ago. The first day we stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho, and as we settled into the motel, Mike discovered he had inadvertently left his driver’s license at home. As luck would have it, son Clint was in town and agreed to overnight it to Colorado. It was waiting for us when we arrived on Saturday.

Okay – so that was the first challenge. The second was a fire on I-80 that held us up for 90 minutes on that hot Friday afternoon near Rock Springs, Wyoming. We sat with the eastbound traffic watching from a distance as a semi burned – and did it ever burn!

Bess and Nellie in Wyoming

We were going to spend the night in Rock Springs but decided it was too early to stop. We drove a couple more hours to Rawlins. Checking email, I panicked when I saw a message from Sears stating that they would exchange the refrigerator on Monday, August 3. Frankly, we had given up on this since Sears had said they would call us July 14 to provide a delivery date, and that didn’t happen. Of course, we wouldn’t be home on the 3^rd, but I was unable to log into the Sears site to make changes and no phone number was provided. Eventually we were able to reach Sears through the “800” customer service number. It wasn’t easy, but by pleading with the rep, Mike was able to get the date changed to Monday, August 17. (And now I have email confirmation of same.)

Well, as if that wasn't enough, we received a call from Mike’s sister advising us that their mother, Bennie, passed away that day (Friday, July 31) in Memphis, just 16 days short of her 101^st birthday. Frankly, she left us years ago, so this was not unexpected or even sad. But – arrangements had to be made and discussion ensued. As it stands now, the memorial service will be Saturday, August 22, at her church home in Camden, Arkansas. Mike and sons Murray and Yancey will attend.

Yancey & Mike prepare to leave

Arriving in the Denver area on Saturday, August 1, we discovered that Yancey had just returned from a nine-day stay with a family member in crisis and would now have another week away from work in order to travel with Mike. He had it all worked out, but it was a strain on the family, and we’re grateful to all of them for making it possible to continue the moto-caching trip.

Mike with the final cache

We left Denver at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, and drove to Rock Springs. We reached Boise mid-afternoon on Monday, and Mike said he felt good and thought we should continue home. I was overjoyed! “The dogs are being so good,” said Mike. “They know we’re going home,” I replied. Upon arriving here, Nellie was so happy that she actually ran. Bess also got out and explored but affirmed her love of the pick-up by hopping right back in. KW